Use-After-Free Vulnerability in Linux Kernel's Thunderbolt Component

CVE-2025-40002

What is CVE-2025-40002?

A use-after-free vulnerability in the Thunderbolt component of the Linux kernel poses significant memory safety concerns. This flaw occurs when the delayed work items in the Thunderbolt driver continue to reference a deallocated memory object. During the execution of these work items, if the associated tunnel is freed, it could lead to the dereferencing of invalid memory, causing potential system instability or exploitation. The vulnerability was identified through static analysis, prompting the need for improved reference counting to ensure that memory remains valid throughout work item execution and to prevent memory leaks.

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